ddfa(7) ddfa(7)
NAME [Toc] [Back]
ddfa - Data Communications and Terminal Controller (DTC) Device File
Access (DDFA) software
DESCRIPTION [Toc] [Back]
The Data Communications and Terminal Controller (DTC) Device File
Access (DDFA) software allows access from HP-UX system utilities and
user applications to terminal servers using standard HP-UX structures.
DDFA provides an interface to remote LAN-connected terminal server
ports that is similar to the interface for local directly-connected
ports.
The basic principle is that a daemon is created for each configured
terminal server port based on information in a configuration file (a
Dedicated Ports file). When the daemon is spawned, it takes a pty
from the pool and creates a device file with the same major and minor
number as the pty slave. The device file is known as the "pseudonym"
and utilities and applications use the pseudonym to access the
terminal server port by exercising standard HP-UX system functions
(open(), close(), read(), write(), and ioctl()). The daemon listens
on the pty until an application does an open() on the pseudonym. It
then sets up and manages the connection to the terminal server port
until the application does a close() on the pseudonym. The end result
is that the terminal server port is addressed via a device file, but
the mechanism that makes it happen is transparent to the user. A
second configuration file (a port configuration file) contains
information to profile the terminal server port.
DDFA consists of the following items:
dp Dedicated Ports file. This text file contains the
information that DDFA needs to set up and manage a
connection between a pseudonym and a terminal
server port.
The dp file is parsed by the Dedicated Port Parser
(dpp) which spawns an Outbound Connection Daemon
(ocd) for each outbound connection specified in
the file. The dp file is also used by the HP-UX
Telnet daemon (telnetd) to identify incoming
connections from a DTC and map them to a pseudonym
(the Telnet port identification feature).
pcf Port Configuration File. This text file is used
by DDFA to profile the terminal server port. The
generic name of the template file is pcf. A port
configuration file is referenced by an entry in
the Dedicated Ports file (dp).
dpp Dedicated Port Parser. This command parses the
Dedicated Ports file (dp) and spawns an Outbound
Hewlett-Packard Company - 1 - HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003
ddfa(7) ddfa(7)
Connection Daemon (ocd) for each valid entry in
the dp file. It can be run from the shell or it
can be included in a system initialization script
to automatically run the DDFA software each time
the system is booted.
ocd Outbound Connection Daemon. This daemon manages
the connection and data transfer to the remote
terminal server port. Normally, it is spawned by
the Dedicated Ports Parser (dpp), but it can be
run directly from the shell.
As it starts, it creates its pseudonym for the
connection. As it terminates normally, it removes
the pseudonym. If the pseudonym is removed while
it is running, ocd will terminate with an error
condition.
ocdebug Outbound Connection Daemon debug mode. This is a
special version of ocd that contains debugging
code. It must be run from the shell.
CONFIGURATION [Toc] [Back]
There are two basic steps to configuring the DDFA software:
+ Enter information in the dp file.
+ Enter information in the port configuration files.
Configuring the dp File [Toc] [Back]
The dp file contains one line for each outbound connection that is to
be established and one line for each incoming connection request. A
default file /usr/examples/ddfa/dp should be copied to a new file and
the copy edited as needed. It is recommended that a directory be
created to hold the dp file and the port configuration files.
Each line of the dp file must contain the location of the terminal
server port and the location of the pseudonym. In addition, for an
outbound connection, the port configuration file must be specified and
a logging level may be specified.
Configuring the Port Configuration Files [Toc] [Back]
A port configuration file is used to configure individual terminal
server ports. A master port configuration file is
/usr/examples/ddfa/pcf. In practice, it is renamed for each port that
needs different configuration values and the values are altered
appropriately for the device attached to the port. It is recommended
that a directory be created to hold the port configuration files and
the dp file.
Hewlett-Packard Company - 2 - HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003
ddfa(7) ddfa(7)
Each line of a port configuration file must consist of a name of a
variable and its value. The variable-value pairs contain information
on how to open a connection to a terminal server port, how to close a
connection to a terminal server port, and how to manage the data
transfer to a terminal server port.
Configuring a System Initialization Script [Toc] [Back]
DDFA can be run at boot time by including a reference to dpp in a
system initialization script. It is recommended that the -k option be
used when running dpp in this environment.
KILLING DAEMONS [Toc] [Back]
Note that ocd should be killed using kill -15. Do not use kill -9 for
this purpose as it does not remove the device file. ocd verifies the
validity of an existing pseudonym before trying to use it. dpp and
ocd use data stored in the file /var/adm/utmp.dfa to verify whether a
process still owns a pseudonym before taking it over. If ocd finds an
unowned pseudonym, it uses it.
ERROR HANDLING [Toc] [Back]
When ocd receives a serious error condition, such as when the LAN goes
down, it transmits the error condition to the application by closing
the pty. Any open(), close(), read(), or write() to the pseudonym
returns the error condition 0 bytes read. If the pseudonym is the
controlling terminal for the group to which the application belongs,
SIGHUP is sent to all the processes in the group, including the
application.
ioctl() LIMITATIONS
Not all ioctl() functionality is available, due to the lack of a
protocol that allows the transmission of such commands over the LAN to
the remote port.
termio Attribute Limitations
The main restrictions on termio attributes (see termio(7)) include
modem signal control and parity checking. The following are not
available:
CBAUD IGNPAR INPCK IXANY IXOFF PARMRK [Toc] [Back]
ioctl() Request Limitations
The following ioctl() request limitations apply:
CSTOPB flag DTC only supports one stop bit.
CSIZE DTC only supports 8 bits per character.
Value cannot be modified.
PARODD flag DTC offers static configuration to handle
even or odd parity. It also handles auto
parity detection for even or odd parity.
Hewlett-Packard Company - 3 - HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003
ddfa(7) ddfa(7)
PARENB flags Enabling/disabling done via static
configuration. No programmatic interface
supplied.
INPCK flag No way to separate input from output parity
features.
IGNPAR flag Cannot be configured on DTC.
PARMRK Bad characters are forwarded to the system
without marking them with OFFH or OH.
CBAUD Speed is part of static configuration.
IXOFF flag Flow control is enabled if the DTC static
configuration specifies an ASCII access mode.
If binary is selected, no flow control is
provided.
IXON flags Pacing of output to a terminal via a
programmatic interface is enabled when ASCII
mode is selected in static port configuration
and disabled when binary mode is selected.
IXANY flag DTC does not offer the ability to restart
output on any character received if XOFF was
previously received.
HUPCL flag DDFA does not support the hanging up of modem
signals on the last close of the device file.
If the modem signals used on the DTC drop,
the connection is closed.
CLOCAL flag Not supported.
c_flags IENQACK not supported.
OFILL, OFDEL, NLDLY, CRDLY, TABDLY, BSDLY,
FFDLY not supported by Telnet port
identification software.
BINARY mode flags Part of static configuration is done in DTC
Manager by selecting binary mode. If
switching is enabled, binary can be selected
at user interface level. There is no way to
automatically negotiate binary mode when
proper termio flags are reset when using
telnetd. Binary/ASCII switching is possible
with DDFA. The DTC cannot support large
reads in pure binary mode, so transferred
blocks of data should not be more than 256
Hewlett-Packard Company - 4 - HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003
ddfa(7) ddfa(7)
bytes. If half-duplex with remote
acknowledgement is implemented, binary
applications can be supported.
ioctl() System Call Requests
The following ioctl() system call limitations apply:
TCSBRK The ability to send a break without waiting
for previous data to be sent is not provided
at the system level in telnetd or DDFA.
Receiving a Telnet break command in the DTC
allows it to generate a break on asynchronous
ports.
TCFLSH The DTC output queue cannot be flushed.
Hardware handshake request
Not supported on DTC.
TCXONC Local handshake cannot be disabled on DTC.
MCGETA Not supported.
MCSETA, MCSETAF, MCSETAW
There is no way to separately set modem lines
of a DTC port.
MCGETT Modem timers, CD timer, connect timer, and
disconnect cannot be configured.
CCITT simple, and direct call-in/call-out modes
DTC cannot handle simple mode because there
is programmatic interface for modem signals.
Call-in mode cannot be simulated if the port
is opened, because modem signals (or the
call) must be present within 2 minutes or the
connection is cleared.
DACIDY get device adapter info
No way to get device adapter information.
Download ioctl() DACRADDR, DACDLADDR, DACDLGO, DACDLVER
No programmatic call to download the DTC.
DACHWSTATUS, DACSELFTEST, DACLOADED, DACISBROKE status
No programmatic interface to get such info.
DACLOOPBACK DACSUBTEST port test
WARNINGS [Toc] [Back]
In order to ensure that commands (such as ps) display the correct
Hewlett-Packard Company - 5 - HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003
ddfa(7) ddfa(7)
device file name (that is, the pseudonym), all pseudonyms should be
placed into the directory /dev/telnet. If pseudonyms are not
specified for placement in this directory, the correct display of
device file names with many commands is not guaranteed.
In addition, in order to ensure that commands (such as w, passwd,
finger, and wall) work correctly, each pseudonym must be unique in its
first 17 characters (including the directory prefix /dev/telnet/). If
pseudonyms are not unique in their first 17 characters, the correct
functioning of many commands is not guaranteed.
Also, in order to reliably handle timing mark negotiations (and ensure
that files printing on a printer attached to a terminal server have
been completely flushed to that printer), the following line must be
added near the end of each printer interface script for printers
attached to a terminal server:
stty exta <&1 2>/dev/null
The printer interface scripts reside in the directory
/etc/lp/interface. The line must be added just prior to the final
exit command in each printer interface script.
If this line is not added as specified, the printing reliability of
printers attached to a terminal server is not guaranteed.
FILES [Toc] [Back]
/usr/examples/ddfa/dp
/usr/examples/ddfa/pcf
/usr/sbin/dpp
/usr/sbin/ocd
/usr/sbin/ocdebug
/var/adm/dpp_login.bin
/var/adm/utmp.dfa
SEE ALSO [Toc] [Back]
dpp(1M), ocd(1M), ocdebug(1M), ioctl(2), dp(4), pcf(4), ioctl(5),
termio(7).
Hewlett-Packard Company - 6 - HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003 [ Back ] |
